While deliberating on the Makah case I feel it is very relevant
for you to be aware of the fact that the Makah Indians of Neah Bay
initially applied for a commercial whaling license. This application
is publicly available in archives and shows that only after
receiving advice from the high profile Washington DC public
relations firm Denny Miller and Associates, did they change the
wording of this application to "cultural and ceremonial" whaling.

It may be of further interest to know that Tom Happynook (an
Aboriginal hereditary whaling chief from the Huu-ay-aht on Vancouver
Island) has worked very much with the Makah and is the chairman of
the World Council of Whalers, a Japanese based and funded commercial
whaling endeavor that focuses on gaining aboriginals whaling rights.
A read through the website will show clearly the intent of gaining
these rights...to sell the whales to Japan. This is evident in the
fine print and between the lines as any past trade in whale parts is
eluded to as commercial, and thus the right to sell whales will be
inherent in any whaling rights achieved.

I hope this can serve to further enhance your understanding of
aboriginal whaling.

Neil Gregory
Victoria BC
Riverside4@uniserve.com

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Response by Anthony Marr

The dirty secrets in Makah's "cultural" whaling
All opposed to whaling:

Neil Gregory is a Victoria-BC-based activist who personally went
to Neah Bay WA in 1999 to battle the Makah whale hunt which
nonetheless killed a young, trusting Grey whale with utter cruelty,
savagery and impunity, and with utterly no sorrow, regret or
remorse.

Following is a comment from him which very succinctly reveals the
true nature of the supposed "cultural hunt" in question, not that
any "cultural hunt" is necessarily justifiable, such as the
continued hunting by Canadian Inuits of the highly endangered
Eastern Arctic Bowhead whale